Stargazers
by Pharaoh-Ink
Summary: He's not really sure what she's doing here, but then again, he's not sure why he's here either. Maybe that's just life, you're just there one day and gone the next.


When they counted and sorted through the loot, there was always one missing. Negaduck didn't count, simply because he always grabbed and ran off without another word or look their way, it was business as usual and he washed his hands of them. But the other member of their team, the one that spoke the least, the one they_ knew_ the very least about, was Red Nova.

At first, Megavolt wasn't sure where they went off to. But one day, it became clear, when he heard a faint rustling outside. Perched at the very top of his lighthouse, the concealed figure sat, looking up at the starry skies, filmed over by light pollution from the city.

"Uh. Hello!"

The blank visor looked down at the rat, saying nothing, but making no effort to move either.

"Is this where you go off to? Because, I hate to be THAT GUY, but I called dibs on this place a _looooong_ time ago, and I'm definitely not moving. I mean, I get everyone needs their secret space to lounge in, but you should really check to see if it's already occupied."

"Not staying." Came the even tone, though oddly enough, it didn't sound as filtered as it normally was. "Just looking."

"Huh?" Megavolt cocked his head, squinting up at them. "Looking at what exactly?"

They pointed a finger up towards the sky, and Megavolt peered before slapping a hand to his goggles.

"Oh! The stars, right? Yeah, I guess that would make sense, with your alias and all. Can't see them so well from here though, unless my eyes are getting worse."

He actually could scarcely believe he was making casual conversation with Red Nova for this long, even if the majority of it was one sided.

"You know..." He didn't want to jinx his luck, climbing up to the ledge to see them better. "Uh, you never actually take any of the loot we steal. You do know you get a cut of that, right?"

A shrug was his response. Oh, maybe they DIDN'T know. "Well you can. You actually help, so you should get something out of it."

They weren't demanding, and this bothered Megavolt on some level, because if they weren't stealing for their own benefit, why were they doing it?

"Unless you get something out of it that...ISN'T monetary gain? Do you just like doing this for fun?" He cocked a sort of grin then, watching their helmet, as if he could stare through their visor with x-ray vision.

"Because I'm like that too! Stealing from banks is more Negaduck's style. I have a greater purpose in life than mere thievery."

This must have seemed very impressive to them, because they turned to fully face him, "_Really?_"

"Yeah!" His excitement grew more apparent. "I liberate my electric brethren from their bondage and enslavement to mankind! Their sickening servitude at the hands of those who use and abuse. I alone can free them, and one day the world will know how it feels to spend their lives, draining their energy day after day with no end in sight!"

The volume at which he had been speaking grew louder and louder, until it was a safe bet the entire city of St. Canard probably heard him. To someone in front of him, this might have been enough to terrify them all together, but Megavolt was quite used to that by now.

Red Nova however, made no movement. "...Seems like a noble cause."

"You think so?" Megavolt's shock slipped into eagerness- having someone agree with him was such a rarity.

"You've got to stand for something." Red shrugged their shoulders.

"Right! That's just it! So...so what about you? What do you want?"

Red shrugged again, "To send St. Canard into a fiery inferno the likes of which the world has never seen."

"...You want to light the city on fire?" He seemed disappointed then. "Quacky and I already tried that."

"No, not light it on fire. I want it to explode."

"Oh." Megavolt nodded then. "...Why?"

"Because that is part of the cycle. From death comes rebirth. A star's life begins, often, as a result of the death of another star, whose remains spread so far and so fast, that it meshes together with the ash of other stars and became something new and unique. Our entire Universe works that way. This city...how long has it stayed rooted in its foundation, its rotten ways, its corruption?"

"I dunno, I've lived here since..." He squinted thoughtfully. "I forget. But it's always been terrible."

"Well there you go." Red waved a hand dismissively. _"_Because it can't become anything better, if it doesn't come to an end. It'll stay this way as long as we let it. People like Darkwing Duck come along and say they want to change things, but they can't, because they've been corrupted too. Manipulated by the system and their own twisted sense of self righteous justice."

"I guess that's a way of looking at it."

"So I'd like to give the city a chance to start fresh. A clean slate. I had the opportunity, and I've never been better."

"...Better? How do you mean?"

"...Have you ever been through something so...life changing, that you just knew that nothing could ever be the same ever again?"

"...No, I don't thi-WAIT, YEAH. YEAH I HAVE!" He snapped his fingers together again, creating a spark. "I'll never forget that day in January! Or...was it June? Whatever, either way!"

"Then you get it. You were meant for a higher calling. Just like me. I thought I'd live my family's life they wanted for me, and after years of it, I convinced myself that I wanted that too. And then I was given a chance to walk away from it, to be free. It was a gift. It helped me see what I was capable of, and what I needed to do. What I should have done."

"Everybody has a hobby. Yours just...happens to be blowing stuff up! It sounds pretty neat though. I wouldn't mind seeing fireworks...as long as I'm not IN them, aheh!"

"You wouldn't be. I wouldn't let you get hurt."

"...Really?" That took him off guard. He worked with the others, sure, but aside from Quacky, he couldn't really call them FRIENDS. And even Quacky could be hit and miss at times. Having someone look out for him or want his safety wasn't exactly common.

"Of course. We're allies, aren't we?"

"Uh, sure! Yeah!" Megavolt grinned then. "So you have my back, and I've got yours, right?"

"That's generally how it goes in an ally relationship, yeah."

He tried to curb his enthusiasm before the other regretted befriending him, "Oh uh, well, you don't HAVE to, but. I mean, there's a face underneath there, right? Like, I'm not talking to an autonomous being, am I? That would be pretty awesome, but, you know, just for curiosity's sake."

"You want to see under my visor?"

"Uh, yeah! But only if you want. Since we're...whatevers and all."

"Allies."

"Right, allies, partners, co-workers, friends, the line is sort of blurred."

"I think it's a pretty bold line, Megavolt."

"It's categorized as a relationship, isn't it?"

"Of sorts, yes."

"So doesn't that mean we have to have some kind of trust? I get you want to keep the whole cool, mysterious vibe going."

"It's not a vibe. You don't want to see what's under here."

"Aw, come on! Now when you say it like that, I DEFINITELY want to now! You've sparked my interest!" Electricity crackled off of his whiskers as he leaned in eagerly.

"There's nothing you want to see. It's a black hole."

He was relentless though, and they sighed heavily, raising a hand to his face to quiet him. "You can't look into a black hole, you'll never get out. Don't you get it?"

"I think I can handle it." He scoffed. "And besides, the nature of black holes aren't conclusive. You could end up traveling through it to another place entirely."

"This doesn't go to another place." They replied sadly.

"I don't believe you!" Megavolt frowned, "I have to see for myself."

"...Okay. But don't talk."

He opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it, watching as they lifted their hands to place on either side of their helmet. There was a gentle tug, and he couldn't help but feel the staggering beats of his heart growing, mismatched irises widening behind his goggles.

She felt eyes tracing over marred flesh, disfigured, it made her squirm in discomfort, but his expression didn't match her idea of disgust, it was solemn, determined, as if he was trying very hard to understand everything, and as if the light at the end of the tunnel was just within reach.

The moment ended, as she finally snapped the helmet back down, hands shaking, the cool night air having trapped itself under there to give her much needed ventilation.

It was painfully quiet for a few moments, before the rat finally spoke up.

"A black hole pulls in electromagnetic radiation you know."

"...Uh...huh?"

"I read about it in high school." Megavolt looked up towards the sky, "I think, anyway. But it's true. So, if you were really a black hole like you said, I wouldn't be here right now."

"...I guess...that's true."

"So I was right." Megavolt looked over at her, a grin forming. "You just wear that to look cool."

Red Nova gazed at him with wide eyes behind her visor, and suddenly, a chuckle escaped her, surprising even herself. Megavolt's own insane, wheezing giggle accompanied it.

"I guess I do."

* * *

I wrote this a long time ago, back when I was working on Big Bang and Ignite. I haven't given up on the series, it's just difficult finding inspiration to finish what I started, as per usual. But this oneshot came about during my exploration of the series with Red Nova's character, as she eventually became the villain she is now. I thought for whoever was interested in the series, they might want to give this a read too, as I think it still holds up decently! Thanks for your support and continued interest.


End file.
